TEAM LIVE EARTH – ROAD TO PARIS: First 4-Rider Team
By Vic Armijo, June 26, 2015, City Dock, Annapolis, MD.
Team Live Earth—Road to Paris Powered by Fight Meso not only beat all of the other 4-rider teams, they made it to Annapolis before all of the 8-rider teams too with a finish time of 5 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes at an average of 21.65 mph.
Besides setting out to win RAAM 2015 the team’s other focus was to break the 4-rider record (5 days, 8 hours, 17 minutes at 23.06 mph) set by Action Sports back in 2004. They were well on their way to accomplish just that until the weather decided to make life difficult for the team of Kurt Broadhag, Phil Tinstman, Chris DeMarchi and Anthony Restuccia. “As soon as we dropped out of the Rockies and into Eastern Colorado and Kansas it was all straight headwind,” Broadhag related, “Where last year we were averaging 30 mph this year was 21 or 22, so we knew right away our hopes for a record were gone. But we still tried, but we weren’t able to make up that lost time.” So they came up with a new goal, to not just beat the leading 8-rider team, but to do so by 100 miles—and they succeeded!
Aside from the wind dashing their record hopes, little else got in their way, “Everyone’s fitness was great—everyone slept well and ate well—there were not real issues other than the weather,” Broadhag said, “Though I had a little spill. There was a railroad track that wasn’t marked and I went down.” Fortunately Broadhag was uninjured aside from some skin loss (and skin IS a renewable resource), “My whole hip and my whole side got it. Luckily it was right before a transition so we got someone else out and got him going.”
RAAM fans will remember these guys from last year when they raced as Team Innovations Africa. While their finish was impressive perhaps more important is that the team’s RAAM effort raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars for Innovation Africa a non-profit organization that brings solar and agricultural technologies to rural African villages. This year they have a new name and new cause, Broadhag explains, “It’s about getting people behind climate control. On November 30 there’s a worldwide conference in Paris to reach a global agreement about global warming and climate change. So Live Earth is trying to get one billion signatures to take to these world leaders to let them know that everyone is backing this effort. We’re raising awareness instead of funds. All it takes is your name and your e-mail on the website and you’re done. One of the reasons we switched was we got a ton of exposure for Innovations Africa last year and raised a lot of money. We felt that the exposure is probably even better than raising money—exposure is more long term and leads to the money. And we felt that we would be reaching out to the same clientele that has already received the message. So why not open up to a whole new charity?”
There’s also a co-charity, “Fight Mesothelioma,” It’s our buddy’s dad’s foundation—his dad died of mesothelioma, so we’re getting the word out that there’s an organization that people afflicted with it can turn to for support.http://www.fightmesofoundation.com
Besides raising awareness to these two causes, the team is also doing something grand to raise funds as well. Thanks to their sponsor Masi Bicycles, four of the bikes used on RAAM will go up for auction. Half of the proceeds will to to Fight Meso and the other half will go to Road to Paris. Details on how to own one of these bikes is on the team’s website,